Peta Wilson

Statuesque Australian actress and model Peta Wilson charmed countless TV viewers as a sultry spy in the hit TV series "La Femme Nikita" (USA, 1997-2001), which earned her a cult following around the g...
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Rockers Heart have become the latest act to pull out of a show at SeaWorld in Florida following pressure from animal rights campaigners. Veteran country star Willie Nelson and Barenaked Ladies recently cancelled 2014 shows at Orlando's attraction after new documentary Blackfish, which focuses on the struggle of captive killer whales, sparked a furore over alleged animal cruelty issues.
A number of petitions were set up urging artists to scrap planned shows at SeaWorld, and rock group Heart has now left the line-up.
Guitarist Nancy Wilson confirmed the news in a series of posts on her Twitter.com page, writing, "The SeaWorld show was planned long ago as an Orlando show. Had we known, we'd have said no then. We said no today... I am a big Orca fan. I hosted a nature documentary once called Baby Wild all about Orcas. I'm happy to stand w/all (with all) of u (sic) to protect our animals."
Wilson subsequently received a message of thanks from activists at animals rights organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). The message, sent via Twitter, reads, "Thank you for taking a stand against animal abuse! The orcas thank you."

Oh my goodness, that was wonderful. Book readers have likely been waiting for the final moments of tonight's Game of Thrones — "Walk of Punishment" — since this season started, and in my humble opinion the "dismemberment" of sorts was absolutely perfect. (SPOILERS AHEAD)
Because when you think about it, Jaime Lannister's sword hand basically is his member. More than that — it's been his entire identity. When you're called "The Kingslayer" across an entire Kingdom, that hand becomes the most infamous, feared, talked about thing about you. He cannot own land or take a wife (for good reason given his romantic choices) — his sense of self-worth has always come from yes his face and his money, but mostly his ability to either kill important people or keep them alive. The money and the looks were given to him, he earned the rest. But in just a few f**ked up seconds all of that was taken away from him, and I was sad to see the credits roll because man, I can't wait to see what happens next. I cannot praise Nikolaj Coster-Waldau's take on Jaime Lannister enough in these things, and dammit I am not stopping because let me have this one thing.
But more on this later, because saving the best for last is fun. Instead, let's go brood with the Starks!
Riverrun: Welcome to Riverrun! Birthplace of Catelyn Stark and home to the lamest noble house sigil in Westeros, the fish. Robb, Talisa, and Catelyn made a pitstop to Riverrun to put Catelyn's late father Hoster to rest via viking funeral, and we learned right away that her Uncle Brynden is sort of a badass while her brother Edmure is the family clown (though no one can be worse than her breastfeeding enthusiast sister Lysa), as Edmure A couldn't shoot the arrow into the damned boat, and B had ignored Robb's instruction to wait for Gregor Clegane to come to him, and instead attacked him at the Stone Mill which had no strategic value whatsoever and lost a ton of men.
"I could have that head on a spike by now," Robb said of the man called the Mountain, leaving his boyhood manners behind to discipline his uncle. "Instead, I have a mill." Edmure protested that he'd captured two whole Lannisters at the mill, but this just made Robb even angrier. These were not important Lannisters, they were the Lannisters that maybe got an invite to a family function every ten years when Mom decided on a whim that they should spend more time getting to know their cousins. No one cares about these Lannisters.
And that has been your weekly five minute Robb Stark update, ladies and gents.
In Catelyn news, the perpetually greiving mother got some alone time with her wise old uncle, and she seemed relieved to be hanging out with someone who isn't Robb. Uncle Brynden, who has always been called "The Blackfish" which is apparently an insult, it pretty sweet. He comforted Cat, who finally let loose and sobbed over the supposed deaths of Bran and Rickon.
Meanwhile, we got to meet the captured, towheaded little Lannisters, who quizzed Talisa on the growing legend of Robb Stark — "He eats the flesh of his enemies!" Aww. The poor kids were so nervous. It's sad to see innocent, perfectly non-Joffreyesque children being locked up in dungeons far from home as a byproduct of war, but you have to remember that the Lannisters would have probably murdered a pair of Starks of equal value.
King's Landing: Speaking of mean Lannisters, the old one decided to hold a meeting with King's Landing's most trustworthy quintet, Tyrion, Cersei, Littlefinger, Varys, and Grand Maester Pycelle. Cersei pointedly moved her chair directly next to her father, which was obnoxious, then Tyrion loudly moved his to the other end of the table, which somehow managed to be awesome because it annoyed Cersei. Anyway, today's meeting topic was Jaime. Tywin was not happy that there had been no news of his son for weeks, which just means that Brienne had been doing a good job. (Until she wasn't.) "Collectively you control more spies and informants than the rest of the world combined. Do you mean to tell me that none of you has any notion of where he is?"
So, yeah. As you can see, Tywin was pissed. I would be too if I had my claws on Jaime than lost him. That man is goddam perfection. In other news, Roose Bolton still had control over Harrenhal, which Varys gleefully rubbed in Littlefinger's face. And in much much bigger news, Littlefinger was now betrothed to the aforementioned crazy person Lysa Tully, He would head to the Eyrie, that crazy castle in the sky that almost killed Tyrion, and become Lord of the Vale. So, now we know where he's planning to take Sansa.
Also, Tyrion was to become "Master of Coin" in Littlefinger's absence, a position he was not too excited to fill. He was good at spending money, not saving it. So to get some laughs off, Tyrion headed over to Littlefinger's funhouse with Bronn and his squire, Podrick Payne. But don't worry, Tyrion wasn't cheating on Shea — he went to check out some books from Littlefinger's library, and buy some women to take Pod's manhood as a thanks for saving him in battle. This scene was just madness. A bunch of women just writhed all over him and one literally stuck her vagina in his face, while Pod stood there terrified to Tyrion and Bronn's endless amusement.
Pod came back a while later, but gave Tyrion his satchel of gold back. Did he wimp out? Not quite. Instead, the women GAVE PODRICK HIS MONEY BACK. "What did you do to them?" Tyrion asked in shock. "Lots of things," he replied matter-of-factly. Bronn actually seemed pretty distressed that the young squire was able to pleasure several working girls so well that they didn't want to pay for it, so he and Tyrion sat the lad down for details. Honestly, they probably could have spared some time by just pulling down his pants.
Arya &amp; Friends: Thoros of Myr now knew that Arya was a VIP Stark bitch, so he didn't let her and Gendry leave him and his Brotherhood Without Banners as he'd promised last week. It's not safe for a Stark lady in the woods, he said, but we knew he wanted her for something else because only the Starks and Davos Seaworth aren't liars on this show. So Arya and Gendry took off with the Hound and the Brotherhood, but lovely Hot Pie decided to stay behind to bake bread for the innkeeper.
The Boxcar Children goodbye scene was actually sort of sweet, even though I was never in any way attached to Hot Pie. But he baked Arya this cute little messed up loaf of bread, which was cooked with caring and served with a side of emotional resonance. It was adorable, and the Stark Bitch was clearly touched. "Don't get stabbed," Hot Pie said to Arya and Gendry, who TRIVIA ALERT also stayed behind as a smith in the books. Do you think the actor's handsome-ness has anything to do with the fact that he's sticking around now? No? Just me?
Mance Rayder's Army: So, this was fun. When we first caught up with Jon, Mance and Ygritte this week, they had come upon a bunch of mutilated horse parts frozen in ice in a perfect pinwheel position. Insert Luck joke here. Also, thank God the Dothraki weren't around to see this mayhem, or PETA. It was NOT cute.
See, this was the "Dead Crow" spot that the Warg had seen last week, only none of the crows were actually there. Their pieces, either. And you know what that means — there are now 300 more Walkers in the vicinity, ready to EAT JON SNOW ALIVE. Mance was having none of it, and decided to send Jon, Ygritte, and a bunch of his pals to cross the Wall. If Jon betrayed them, they were to throw him off the top of damned thing. "See if crows can fly," he explained. Can Jon and Ygritte start having sex now? I'm bored. This has been your 45-second weekly Jon Snow update.
Craster's Cabin: Well, Sam made it back to Craster's School of Incest and Wizardry without dying in the ice, so that's good. Craster seemed to be in an even more dickish mood than he was last season, but Sam didn't care because GILLY! Craster even made a really tasteful fat joke about eating Sam, which makes me think him and Rebel Wilson shared a brainstorming session before the MTV Movie Awards, but all was better when Sam got like a foot away from Gilly's vagina. (She was giving birth. To a BOY.)
Also, this has been your 15-second weekly Sam update.
50 Shades of Theon: On this week's installment of 50 Shades of Theon, Theon Greyjoy was "set free" by the young lad from last week who is (SPOILER ALET) super important in the Game of Thrones universe but I won't spoil his name quite yet. Theon rode through the gorgeous Westeros (Irish) countryside on horseback, but was quickly followed by a bunch of bad guys with arrows. Can't catch a break this one!
They got him off his horse and surrounded him, then a particularly nasty one pushed him to the ground and tried to rape him. (This has been a very rape-y episode, no?) We got a few seconds of Theon writhing around in the dirt with his bare ass exposed (Alfie Allen has clearly been doing squats and lunges to prep for this) before the men were all killed by the same young man who had let Theon go. "You little bastard," one of them said, before he died. Foreshadow alert!
Stannis and MelisanddreZZZZZZ: Would anybody else feel perfectly fine if the show skipped over these two until they did something interesting? Good Lord, they're bland. And SPOILER ALERT number 2, they stay that way until, like, Book 5. Anyway, Melisandre left for Westeros and Stannis wasn't happy about it. Also, she mentioned that the Lord of Light was demanding "sacrifices" from people with Stannis' blood in their veins and he didn't seem to mind at all, so way to be a family man, Stannis. I'm happy to announce that this is the end of your weekly Stannis update.
The Dragonette: Over in Astapor, Dani was still thinking of ways to buy her army of castrated, occasionally nippleless slaves. She came across a young man dying on a cross in a row of hundreds of people dying on crosses, and the look on her face made it clear that she was not happy about the vicious way of life in Astapor. The Queen of Dragons ain't gonna stand for piles of dead babies and armies of d**kless men.
Regardless, she went to see the s**t-talking slave owner and his beautiful translator again, and said she would buy all of the Unsullied. "The slut thinks she can flash her tits and make us give her whatever he wants," he replied. What a sweetheart! But Dany went on, asserting that she wanted to buy all 8,000 men — though the master said he'd need all of her Dothraki and she still wouldn't have enough.
But you know what's worth an army? A dragon! And not just any dragon — the big black one. Dany agreed to give up Drogon, and she got his woman Missandei as a side-bonus. Jorah and Ser Barristan freaked out over the Drogon thing, but the deal is yet to go through, and something tells me the Mother of Dragons has something nasty up her nonexistant sleeve.
Jaimenne: Finally, the fun part! Game of Thrones' hottest kidnapped duo were now tied together on one of the man who in the books is known as Vargo Hoat, but here is just a random guys's horses, which was proving to be a miserable fate for both. However, something had clearly changed in Jaime — and no, not just his dirty hair that isn't make him an ounce less attractive, sorry hair and makeup team. Brienne was going to be stupidly noble and try to fight the small army of men, but Jaime insisted that she be smart and not attack them, as they'd surely kill her. "Do you understand? I'm the prisoner of value, not you. Let them have what they want, it doesn't matter."
This is crazy because we've never heard Jaime be this sincere, ever. Certainly not to anyone who isn't his sister, and he's kind of a dick to her, too. There's clearly something he likes or at least is charmed with in Brienne, and he doesn't want to see her killed. I'm excited because this marked the exact spot in the books where Jaime became my favorite character, and on-screen Jaime is just as if not more winning than his on-the-page counterpart, so this is going to be FUN!
At night they set up camp, and fake-Vargo and his men quickly got to the business of raping Brienne. "I'll take the big bitch first. When she's good and wet, you lot can finish her off!" Jaime looked more horrified than Brienne did at this line, and he and I both were deeply disturbed at Brienne's gutteral screams when they took her off. But then he had a stroke of genius, or as we say in this universe, a stroke of Tyrion:
"You know who she is, don't you?" he said to fake-Hoat as the assault began. "She is Brienne of Tarth. Her father is Lord Selwyn of Tarth. Heard of Tarth? They call it the Sapphire Isle. You know why? Every sapphire in Westeros was mined on Tarth. Sapphires are gemstones? The blue ones? Lord Selwyn would pay his daughter's weight in sapphires if she was returned to him. But only if she's alive — her honor unbesmirched."
Fake-Hoat went for this and brought Brienne back, but I think Jaime could have acted a little less pleased with himself. Apparently, Fake-Hoat felt the same way — after Jaime condescendingly asked him to remove him from his chains, Hoat did so, and even asked him for something to eat. "Bring the bird over here, and a carving knife," he ordered.
And here, my friends, is where Shit. Got. Real. "You think you're the smartest man there is," Fake-Hoat said, as his men held down Jaime, and he dangled the knife in his face. "Everyone alive has to bow and scape at your boots. If you get in any trouble, all you've got to do is say 'my father.' That's it. All your troubles are done... You're nothing without your daddy. But your daddy ain't here!"
And then HE CUT OFF JAIME'S HAND! His sword hand! I knew this was coming but that didn't make seeing the inside of Jaime's arm, nor his horrified disbelief, any harder to watch.
So, what did you think of the big moment? Are you happy with the pace of this season so far? Overwhelmed by all of the small, weekly updates? Shout out your thoughts below, and be sure to be super nice to your right hands tonight.
Follow Shaunna on Twitter @HWShaunna
MORE:'Game of Thrones' Recap: Dark Wings and Dark Words'Game of Thrones' Premiere Recap: The Season of the Woman?
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Well, kids, Pamela Anderson is gone, leaving behind a trail of bronzing gel, false eyelashes, and hairspray residue in her wake. This week, the competition heated up about as unevenly as the leftover pasta I had for dinner. The night was filled with glitter, innuendo, and a big-band cover of Radiohead’s “Creep.” Yeah, that happened. Sufficiently confused? Read on for more weirdness.
Melissa Rycroft &amp; Tony Dovolani
Did I die and go to the Rydell High dance-off? Based on Melissa and Tony’s dance, I’m pretty sure that’s what happened. Melissa is clearly the best dancer at St. Bernadette’s. The only thing missing was the hand jive.
Carrie Ann: 8
Len: 8
Bruno: 7.5
Bristol Palin &amp; Mark Ballas
“This song’s like… me,” says Bristol Palin of Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman,” the song she danced to tonight. In case there was any doubt before, I can now confirm: Bristol Palin is the Honey Boo Boo of this competition.
Carrie Ann: 6
Len: 6
Bruno: 6
Helio Castroneves &amp; Chelsie Hightower
Bruno referred to Helio Castroneves as “a delicious treat,” but I’m pretty sure he was talking about Helio’s pink suit jacket. Enough about him, though — let’s talk about his daughter, who got more screen time than any actual dancer in this competition. And for good reason: She’s the cutest toddler in the world. And she cheered her dad on from the sidelines. Awww.
Carrie Ann: 8
Len: 7.5
Bruno: 7.5
Apolo Anton Ohno &amp; Karina Smirnoff
Last week, Carrie Ann told Apolo he got “3000 times sexier”… well, that was before she saw his fedora. It took all of his sexy points from last week and threw them right out the window. Apolo, you have the coolest male hair on DWTS this season. Don’t cover it up.
Carrie Ann: 8.5
Len: 8
Bruno: 8
Sabrina Bryan &amp; Louis Van Amstel
When Bruno calls you Ginger Rogers, you know you’re good. Sabrina Bryan is a rockstar – and an adorable one. When Carrie Ann told her how great she was, she literally jumped up and down like an overexcited. Carrie Ann: 9
Len: 8.5
Bruno: 8.5 Kirstie Alley &amp; Maks Chmerkovskiy
Ugh, Kirstie. During rehearsals, she had to wear rubber bands tied around her knees to train her to keep her legs together, a move she referred to as “Fifty Shades of Maks.” Ew. Her costume dragged out the torture even more: I get that her wig is meant to look like a classy ‘20s flapper, but the final result was vaguely reminiscent of a tan, slightly tipsy Marilyn Manson at a Great Depression-themed party.
Carrie Ann: 7
Len: 7
Bruno: 7
Emmitt Smith &amp; Cheryl Burke
Emmitt Smith says he’s been hit over 4,000 times, which evidently made his head crooked. I guess last week we were all too distracted by the hip rolls. More importantly, though, he wore a leopard print bowtie and cummerbund combo, so I don’t understand why they didn’t just give him the Mirror Ball trophy and send everyone else packing.
Carrie Ann: 7.5
Len: 7.5
Bruno: 7.5
Drew Lachey &amp; Anna Trebunskaya
Drew and Anna snag the award for worst costume of the night. First of all, Anna: Selena called. She wants her sequined bustier back. Like, now. And Drew, lose the eyeliner. You’re not Johnny Depp circa 2005 (But ooh, can Johnny Depp be on DWTS? Who do I need to pay to make that happen?).
Carrie Ann: 7.5
Len: 7.5
Bruno: 7.5
Joey Fatone &amp; Kym Johnson
I have to be completely honest: I was so distracted by Joey’s music — a big-band version of Radiohead’s “Creep” — that I barely watched his dance. I guess it was appropriate, though — his Charlie Chaplin impression was, well, creepy. Based on the last two performances, I can only imagine (by which I mean dread) what’s to come next time.
Carrie Ann: 7.5
Len: 7.5
Bruno: 7.5
Shawn Johnson &amp; Derek Hough
Meanwhile, back at Rydell High, my Grease metaphor continues as Shawn Johnson performs a dance that’s as wholesome as everyone’s favorite Hopelessly Devoted leading lady. Also, she cartwheeled down the stairs. Did you hear she was once in the Olympics?!
Carrie Ann: 8.5
Len: 8
Bruno: 7.5
Kelly Monaco &amp; Valentin Chmerkovskiy
Kelly Monaco apparently missed out on her senior prom and wanted to relive the moment here. Too bad she didn’t leave a glass slipper behind on the steps: She was acting like Val was her real-life Prince Charming. I’m just impressed she didn’t trip over all that tulle.
Carrie Ann: 7.5
Len: 7
Bruno: 7.5
Gilles Marini &amp; Peta Murgatroyd
The funny thing about Gilles’ hamstring injury is that I once had the same issue. Unfortunately, I didn’t get mine from dancing in a nationally televised competition, so I guess he wins this one. He dedicated his performance to his father, who passed away 17 years ago tonight, and his dad is definitely smiling down on him: once again, the last dance of the night was hands-down the best. Even if he did forget to wear his undershirt.
Carrie Ann: 8.5
Len: 8.5
Bruno: 8.5
Who’s heading home tonight?
[Image Credit: ABC] More: Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars Recap: Cheetas and Sequins and Bieber, Oh My! Dancing Backstage With Louis van Amstel: Sabrina Bryan Was So Happy She Cried Dancing With the Stars Recap: Lip Service

Widening the thematic scope without sacrificing too much of the claustrophobia that made the original 1979 Alien universally spooky Prometheus takes the trophy for this summer's most adult-oriented blockbuster entertainment. The movie will leave your mouth agape for its entire runtime first with its majestic exploration of an alien planet and conjectures on the origins of the human race second with its gross-out body horror that leaves no spilled gut to the imagination. Thin characters feel more like pawns in Scott's sci-fi prequel but stunning visuals shocking turns and grand questions more than make up for the shallow ensemble. "Epic" comes in many forms. Prometheus sports all of them.
Based on their discovery of a series of cave drawings all sharing a similar painted design Elizabeth (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie (Logan Marshall-Green) are recruited by Weyland to head a mission to another planet one they believe holds the answers to the creation of life on Earth. Along for the journey are Vickers (Charlize Theron) the ruthless Weyland proxy Janek (Idris Elba) a blue collar captain a slew of faceless scientists and David (Michael Fassbender) HAL 9000-esque resident android who awakens the crew of spaceship Prometheus when they arrive to their destination. Immediately upon descent there's a discovery: a giant mound that's anything but natural. The crew immediately prepares to scope out the scene zipping up high-tech spacesuits jumping in futuristic humvees and heading out to the site. What they discover are the awe-inspiring creations of another race. What they bring back to the ship is what they realize may kill their own.
The first half of Prometheus could be easily mistaken for Steven Spielberg's Alien a sense of wonder glowing from every frame not too unlike Close Encounters. Scott takes full advantage of his fictional settings and imbues them with a reality that makes them even more tantalizing. He shoots the vistas of space and the alien planet like National Geographic porn and savors the interior moments on board the Prometheus full of hologram maps sleeping pods and do-it-yourself surgery modules with the same attention. Prometheus is beautiful shot in immersive 3D that never dampers Dariusz Wolski's sharp photography. Scott's direction seems less interested in the run-or-die scenario set up in the latter half of the film but the film maintains tension and mood from beginning to end. It all just gets a bit…bloodier.
Jon Spaihts' and Damon Lindelof's script doesn't do the performers any favors shuffling them to and fro between the ship and the alien construction without much room for development. Reveals are shoehorned in without much setup (one involving Theron's Vickers that's shockingly mishandled) but for the most part the ensemble is ready to chomp into the script's bigger picture conceits. Rapace is a physical performer capable of pulling off a grisly scene involving an alien some sharp objects and a painful procedure (sure to be the scene of the blockbuster season. Among the rest of the crew Fassbender's David stands out as the film's revelatory performance delivering a digestible ambiguity to his mechanical man that playfully toys with expectations from his first entrance. The creature effects in Prometheus will wow you but even Fassbender's smallest gesture can send the mind spinning. The power of his smile packs more of a punch than any facehugger.
Much like Lindelof's Lost Prometheus aims to explore the idea of asking questions and seeking answers and on Scott's scale it's a tremendous unexpected ride. A few ideas introduced to spur action fall to the way side in the logic department but with a clear mission and end point Prometheus works as a sweeping sci-fi that doesn't require choppy editing or endless explosions to keep us on the edge of our seats. Prometheus isn't too far off from the Alien xenomorphs: born from existing DNA of another creature the movie breaks out as its own beast. And it's wilder than ever.
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The bosses of some malls and shopping areas have refused to put up the posters for fear of offending people.
The varied billboards feature the scantily clad Live Free of Die Hard star holding a series of killer weapons.
Officials at top Los Angeles shopping centre The Grove passed on an image of Q wearing a leather outfit. Malls in Chicago, Illinois and New York also passed on the image, according to Variety.
Some outlets have now erected a replacement ad featuring the actress in a long red dress and brandishing a machine gun.
But even that has upset some community members - those Nikita replacement ads have been pulled from billboards located near schools and churches in the Los Angeles area.
Maggie Q will be the third Nikita when the all-action show debuts in America later this year (10) - French actress Anne Parillaud played the assassin in Luc Besson's 1990 movie and Peta Wilson took over the part in late 1990s TV show La Femme Nikita.

CHARLIE'S ANGELS director McG and LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD star MAGGIE Q are teaming up to revamp cult action film and TV series LA FEMME NIKITA. The actress will play the titular character in the upcoming TV drama, taking on the assassin role previously played on the big screen by Anne Parillaud and by Peta Wilson in the late 1990s spin-off TV series.

Maybe it was the 3-D glasses that helped, but the game went into overtime this weekend for Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.The third installment in the franchise about a family of super spies took the top spot with a healthy $32.5 million*, making it the highest opener of the three. The first Spy Kids opened 2001 with $26.5 million, while the second, Spy Kids: Island of Lost Dreams, opened 2002 with $18.7 million. The ghostly swashbuckler Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl held on to second place with $22.4 million while the naughty actioner Bad Boys II dropped from the top of the heap last week to third with $22 million, barely slipping under Pirates .Not as many people, however, cared to see Angelina Jolie strut her stuff again. The outrageously stunt-laden sequel Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life opened at No. 4 with $21.7 million, making less than half of what the original 2001 smash hit Lara Croft: Tomb Raider did when it opened at $47.7 million. The heart-tugging Depression drama Seabiscuit rounded out the top five's home stretch with $21.5 million, though it managed to take the highest per average screening award; opening in 1,989 theaters, its $10,809 per theater average was the highest of any film playing wide this weekend.Other notable indies opening this week included the Bob Dylan starrer Masked and Anonymous, which debuted at $32,167, and the controversial Buffalo Soldiers at $29,000.Overall, box office numbers were up this week, nearly 10 percent from the same weekend last year and nearly 6 percent from last weekend. THE TOP TENDimension Films' PG-rated Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over premiered at the top of the box office with an ESTIMATED $32.5 million in 3,344 theaters ($9,719 per theater).In this third installment, junior agents Juni and Carmen Cortez have to go into a video game and shut it down before it and its creator can take over the world.Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, it stars Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek and Ricardo Montalban.Buena Vista Pictures' PG-13 rated fantasy actioner Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl held on to second in its third week with an ESTIMATED $22.4 million (-34%) at 3,416 theaters (+57 theaters; $6,557 per theater). Its cume is $176.1 million.Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.Sony Picture's R rated buddy actioner Bad Boys II dropped from its first place perch to third with an ESTIMATED $22 million (-53%) at 3,202 theaters (+16 theaters; $6,871 per theater). This high-octane sequel, which follows narcotics detectives Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett in another case, has made $88.4 million so far.Directed by Michael Bay, it stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jordi Molla, Gabrielle Union and Peter Stormare.Paramount Pictures' PG-13-rated action-packed Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life debuted at a disappointing fourth place with an ESTIMATED $21.7 million in 3,222 theaters ($6,754 per theater).In her latest adventure pic, Lara Croft journeys to an underwater temple in search of lost treasures. During her expedition, she stumbles upon a sphere that contains the key to Pandora's box.Directed by Jan De Bont, it stars Angelina Jolie, Gerald Butler, Chris Barrie, Ciaran Hinds and Noah Taylor.Universal Pictures' PG-13-rated tear-jerker Seabiscuit opened with an ESTIMATED $21.5 million in 1,989 theaters. Its $10,809 per theater was the highest average of any film playing wide this week.Set in the 1930s, this is a true story about a down-and-out racehorse named Seabiscuit pulled out of obscurity by three men and turned into a national hero.Directed by Gary Ross, it stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper. *Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.As the box office numbers dropped off considerably, Warner Bros.' R rated sci-fi actioner Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines fell two places to No. 6 in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $5 million (-46%) at 2,689 theaters (-744; $1,895 per theater). Its cume is approximately $137.4 million.Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken.Twentieth Century Fox's PG-13 rated period thriller The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen crashed four places to come in seventh place in its third week with an ESTIMATED $4.8 million (-52%) at 2,532 theaters (-470; $1,919 per theater). Its cume is approximately $52.7 million.Directed by Stephen Norrington, it stars Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Shane West and Jason Flemyng.Universal Pictures' PG rated spy spoof Johnny English slipped three places to No. 8 in its second week with an ESTIMATED $4.3 million (53%) at 2,236 theaters ($1,923 per theater). Its cume is 18.4 million.In the film, the British Secret Service calls upon bumbling secret agent Johnny English when a plan to filch the monarchy's Crown Jewels comes to their attention.Directed by Peter Howitt, it stars Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller and John Malkovich.Buena Vista/Disney and Pixar Animation Studios' G rated computer-animated feature Finding Nemo fell three spots in its ninth week to No. 9 with an ESTIMATED $4 million (-45%) at 2,025 theaters (-455 theaters; $1,975 per theater). Its cume is approximately $312.6 million.Directed and co-written by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, it features the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe and Brad Garrett.MGM's PG-13 rated Legally Blonde 2: Red, White &amp; Blonde rounded out the top ten in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $2.6 million (-57%) at 2,120 theaters (-1,085 theaters; $1,250 per theater). Its cume is approximately $82.1 million. Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Regina King, Bob Newhart and Jennifer Coolidge. OTHER OPENINGSSony Pictures Classics' PG-13-rated Masked and Anonymous debuted with an ESTIMATED $32,167 in 4 theaters ($8,042 per theater). Set somewhere, sometime in an unnamed country torn by civil war, concert promoter Uncle Sweetheart is scheming to find a headliner for a benefit show--benefitting himself, that is. Veteran TV producer Nina Veronica is put on the job to make sure the concert is an international spectacle. The clincher? Uncle Sweetheart manages to get the iconic cult star Jack Fate, just released from prison, to perform.Directed by Larry Charles, it stars John Goodman, Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Jeff Bridges, Angela Bassett and Bob Dylan, in his screen debut.Miramax Film's R-rated Buffalo Soldiers opened with an ESTIMATED $29,000 in 6 theaters ($4,833 per theater).In Stuttgart, West Germany in 1989, just as the Berlin Wall is about to fall, Ray Elwood of the 317th Supply Battalion has turned his military servitude into a blossoming network of black market deals--more out of boredom than ambition. When a new top sergeant arrives with the avowed intention of cleaning up the base, Elwood thinks can handle the new blood. If he could only find out what to do with the $5 million in stolen arms that just landed in his lap…Directed by Gregor Jordan, it stars Joaquin Phoenix, Scott Glenn, Anna Paquin and Ed Harris.WEEKEND COMPARISONThe Top 12 films this weekend grossed an ESTIMATED $145.5 million, up 9.91 percent from last year's take of $132.4 million. The Top 12 films were also up 5.20 percent from last weekend when they grossed $138.3 million.Last year's top three included: New Line Cinema's PG-13-rated Austin Powers in Goldmember debuted on top with $73 million in 3,613 theaters ($20,225 per theater); DreamWorks' R rated drama Road to Perdition came in second in its third week of release with $11.1 million at 2,250 theaters (+91 theaters; $4,936 per theater average), Sony's G rated Stuart Little 2 dropped to third in its second week with $10.6 million at 3,282 theaters (+ 27; $3,233 per theater).
Go to our Box Office section for recent weekend movie analysis.

A billionaire TV producer (Robert Mammone) has a great idea for a reality show that he wants to put on the Internet and his goal is to beat the 40 million Super Bowl audience. He has compiled a crack team of young hip and immoral tech geeks directed by Goldman (Rick Hoffman) and puts cameras throughout a remote island where former prisoners are going to kill each other while audiences watch after shelling out the pay-per-view fee. The location is done on a remote secret island and the death row prisoners are bought from prisons around the world with the promise that the survivor gets to walk free. Among the contestants are a rogue Aussie named McStarley (Vinnie Jones) a martial arts expert (Masa Yamaguchi) a husband-and-wife team (Manu Bennett and Dasi Ruz) a monstrous killer who doesn't do much more than grunt (Nathan Jones) and others known only as The Italian The German and other monikers quickly forgotten. Enter the sole American Jack Conrad (Steve Austin) who's in a South American prison for some obscure reason and is recognized on TV by his wife (Madeleine West) who tries to save him. However it looks like Conrad is pretty good at helping himself. Don't expect the acting to be much more evolved than what could be seen among the World Wrestling Entertainment superstars especially since many of them were plucked from the ring to star in this morality tale. But Austin (who had in a strong cameo in Adam Sandler's Longest Yard) proves he has a sense of humor as well as strength. Vinnie Jones is ridiculously over-the-top as the Aussie who's the hand-picked winner of this game shown setting up alliances Survivor style only to turn on them later. The supporting cast are refreshingly entertaining but one-note caricatures both in the contest and running the contest. It's obvious that they aren't going to be around long but the actors do milk their tiny roles for every bit of attention they can get. Rick Hoffman as the brilliant camera mastermind of the project is both whiny sniveling and mean-spirited so when he joins some of the rest of the crew and suddenly develops a backbone and a conscience he ends up stealing the movie with his acerbic humor. But it's the understated American hero Conrad who holds a mirror up to the people who like to watch this stuff. Director Scott Wiper who co-wrote this story has also acted in similar movies like this (A Better Way to Die). It’s obvious he knows what he’s doing with The Condemned and develops a sense of voyeuristic angst like those of us who can't keep our eyes off a train wreck. Like the darkly subversive Belgian film Man Bites Dog the camera crew remains safely distant and remote until the reality directly involves them. Then the crew wonders "What the hell are we doing?" while the audience might be thinking "What the hell are we watching?" Much like Series 7: The Contenders Rollerball and other movies which show a dark and bloody near future this kind of reality doesn't seem too far away and maybe proves that movies which provide this type of gladiator spectacle target a certain segment of the human population who need to blow off steam.

Moviegoers preferred watching the blessed union between American Pie's Jim and Michelle over peeping at the pic that launched Ben and Jen's real life romance. American Wedding's $34.2 million* take proved to be the icing on top of the box office this weekend, easily landing the comedy at No. 1.
Even though this third installment in the American Pie series wasn't sweet enough to beat 2001's American Pie 2 debut of $45.1 million, American Wedding did better than the first film, which opened to $18.7 million in 1999, and its sugary take certainly gave the competition a toothache. It limited last week's box office champ, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, to a $20.1 million take and second place, and it sent Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and its $19.1 million booty sailing to third position.
Seabiscuit, meanwhile, wasn't horsing around. The racehorse biopic gained a spot in its second week, crossing the finish line in fourth place with $17.4 million, followed by the buddy actioner Bad Boys II, which rounded out the Top Five with $12.7 million.
But poor Gigli (rhymes with really, not wiggly) proved to be both a critical and commercial flop. The unilaterally panned film--starring Hollywood's most talked about couple, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez--failed to ignite a spark at the box office; the romantic thriller debuted to a disappointing $3.8 million and tied for seventh place with Finding Nemo, now in its tenth week.
THE TOP TEN
Universal Picture's R rated comedy American Wedding opened at the top of the box office this weekend with an ESTIMATED $34.2 at 3,172 theaters. Its $10,800 per theater average was the highest film of any film playing this week.
In this third installment of the American Pie series, Jim and Michelle and the gang are ready to wreak havoc with a new rite of passage: marriage.
Directed by Jesse Dylan, it stars Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott, Alyson Hannigan, Eddie Kaye Thomas and Thomas Ian Nicholas.
Dimension Films' PG rated Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, last week's box office champ, followed in second place in its second week with an ESTIMATED $20.1 million in 3,364 theaters (+20 theaters; $5,975 per theater). Its cume is approximately $69 million.
Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez, it stars Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Sylvester Stallone, Salma Hayek and Ricardo Montalban.
Buena Vista Pictures' PG 13 rated fantasy actioner Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl continued its hold on the box office, although it dropped a notch to third place in its fourth week of release with an ESTIMATED $19.1 million (-17%) at 3,390 theaters (-26 theaters; $5,634 per theater). Its cume is approximately $208.8 million.
Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
Universal Pictures' PG-13 rated drama Seabiscuit gained a spot in its second week after a slight expansion, taking in an ESTIMATED $19.1 million (-16%) in 2,421 theaters (+434 theaters; $7,215 per theater). Its cume is approximately $49 million.
Directed by Gary Ross, it stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper.
Sony Picture's R rated buddy actioner Bad Boys II fell two notches to fifth place in its third week with an ESTIMATED $12.7 million (-42%) at 3,022 theaters (-180 theaters; $4,203 per theater). Its cume is approximately $111.3 million.
Directed by Michael Bay, it stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jordi Molla, Gabrielle Union and Peter Stormare.
*Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.
Paramount Pictures' PG-13 rated action-packed Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life dropped two rungs to sixth place in its second week with an ESTIMATED $11.3 million (-48 %) in 3,222 theaters (unchanged, $3,507 per theater). Its cume is approximately $42.5 million.
Directed by Jan De Bont, it stars Angelina Jolie, Gerald Butler, Chris Barrie, Ciaran Hinds and Noah Taylor.
Buena Vista/Disney and Pixar Animation Studios' G rated computer-animated feature Finding Nemo gained a position in its tenth week to come in at No. 7 with an ESTIMATED $3.8 million (-13%) at 1,777 theaters (-248 theaters; $2,138 per theater). Its cume is approximately $319.9 million.
Directed and co-written by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, it features the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe and Brad Garrett.
Sony Pictures' R rated crime romance Gigli tied for seventh place and opened with an ESTIMATED $3.8 million at 2,215 theaters ($1,716 per theater).
In the film, lowly hit man Larry Gigli is hired to kidnap the mentally handicapped little brother of a federal prosecutor for Mob purposes. But sparks fly when the gorgeous, independent-minded Ricki is also put on the case because Gigli can't be trusted to do the job.
Directed by Martin Brest, it stars Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Justin Bartha.
Twentieth Century Fox's PG-13 rated period thriller The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen fell three spots to come in at ninth in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $3.1 million (-38%) at 2,007 theaters (-525; $1,570 per theater). Its cume is approximately $58.8 million.
Directed by Stephen Norrington, it stars Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Shane West and Jason Flemyng.
Warner Bros.' R rated sci-fi actioner Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines fell three places to finish tenth in its fifth week with an ESTIMATED $2.9 million (-42%) at 1,910 theaters (-750; $1,526 per theater). Its cume is approximately $147.7 million.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken.
OTHER OPENINGS
Banking on the recognition of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl co-star Kiera Knightley, Fox Searchlight further expanded its soccer drama Bend It Like Beckham, releasing it wide for the first time.
The PG-13 rated sports comedy made it to 12th place in its 21st week of release with an ESTIMATED $1.8 million (+716 %) at 883 theaters with a $1,821 per theater average. Its cume is approximately $28.3 million.
Directed Gurinder Chadha, it stars Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
WEEKEND COMPARISON
The Top 12 films this weekend grossed an ESTIMATED $133 million, down 6.02 percent from last year's take of $141.5 million. The Top 12 films were also down 9.8 percent from last weekend when they grossed $147.4 million.
Last year's top three included: Buena Vista's PG-13 rated sci-fi thriller Signs, which opened in first place with $60.1 million at 3,264 theaters ($18,418 per theater average); New Line Cinema's PG-13 rated Austin Powers in Goldmember, which followed in the No. 2 position in its second week with $31.1 million in 3,613 theaters ($8,613 per theater); and Sony Picture's The Master of Disguise, which opened in third place with $12.5 million at 2,565 theaters (($4,895 per theater average).

They ride together. They die together. They conquer the box office together.
The buddy sequel Bad Boys II proved a formidable opponent for an angst-y teen girl, a ship of cursed pirates and a bumbling secret agent at the box office weekend. The shoot 'em up actioner gunned down the competition with a lawful *$46.7 million, defeating the espionage spoof Johnny English, which snuck in at fourth place with a furtive $9.3 million, and the adolescent drama How To Deal, which opened in eighth position with a meager $5.8 million.
Bad Boys II also trounced last week's box office topper, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. The swashbuckling tale, however, did not experience the typical second week drop off and continued to sail smoothly with an impressive $33.3 million--down only 29 percent from last week.
But while moviegoers demonstrated they hadn't had their fill of pirates just yet, they certainly weren't interested in learning how to deal. How To Deal failed to strike a chord with teen audiences, and it looks as though star Mandy Moore will find out what happens when the box office "gets turned upside down."
Rounding out the Top Five were the period thriller The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which came in third with $10.1 million, and the sci-fi actioner Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, which landed in fifth place with $9.1 million.
THE TOP TEN
Sony Picture's R rated buddy actioner Bad Boys II premiered at the top of the box office with an ESTIMATED take of $46.7 million at 3,186 theaters. Its $14,658 per theater average was the highest of any film playing wide this weekend.
In the sequel, Miami narcotics detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett become part of a high-tech task force assigned to stem the flow of designer ecstasy into the city and inadvertently uncover a deadly conspiracy involving a ruthless drug lord.
Directed by Michael Bay, it stars Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Jordi Molla, Gabrielle Union and Peter Stormare.
Buena Vista Pictures' PG-13 rated fantasy actioner Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, last week's box office champ, came in second in its second week with an ESTIMATED $33.3 million (-29%) at 3,359 theaters (+90 theaters; $9,914 per theater). Its cume is $132.2 million.
Directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley.
Twentieth Century Fox's PG-13 rated period thriller The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen fell one spot to third place in its second week with an ESTIMATED $10.1 million (-56%) at 3,002 theaters (unchanged; $3,364 per theater). Its cume is approximately $42.4 million.
Directed by Stephen Norrington, it stars Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Tony Curran, Stuart Townsend, Shane West and Jason Flemyng.
Universal Pictures' PG rated spy spoof Johnny English took fourth place with an ESTIMATED $9.3 million at 2,236 theaters with a $4,159 per theater average.
In the film, the British Secret Service calls upon bumbling secret agent Johnny English when a plan to filch the monarchy's Crown Jewels comes to their attention.
Directed by Peter Howitt, it stars Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller and John Malkovich.
Warner Bros.' R rated sci-fi actioner Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines dropped two places to No. 5 in its third week with an ESTIMATED $9.1 million (-53%) at 3,404 theaters (-100; $2,701 per theater). Its cume is approximately $127.7 million.
Directed by Jonathan Mostow, it stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Danes and Kristanna Loken.
Buena Vista/Disney and Pixar Animation Studios' G rated computer-animated feature Finding Nemo fell only one spot in its eighth week to sixth place with an ESTIMATED $7.3 million (-14%) at 2,408 theaters (-163 theaters; $2,944 per theater). Its cume is approximately $303.8 million.
Directed and co-written by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton, it features the voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe and Brad Garrett.
*Box office estimates provided by Exhibitor Relations, Inc.
MGM's PG-13 rated Legally Blonde 2: Red, White &amp; Blonde fell three rungs to seventh in its third week with an ESTIMATED $6.1 million (-49%) at 3,205 theaters (-170 theaters; $1,903 per theater). Its cume is approximately $75.4 million.
Directed by Charles Herman-Wurmfeld, it stars Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Regina King, Bob Newhart and Jennifer Coolidge.
New Line Cinema's PG-13 rated drama How To Deal debuted disappointingly in eighth place with an ESTIMATED $2.5 million at 2,319 theaters with a $2,501 per theater average.
Based on a combination of two young adult romance novels by Sarah Dessen (Someone Like You and That Summer), the film revolves around a teenage girl who doesn't believe in storybook romance--until she meets the right guy.
Directed by Clare Kilner, it stars Mandy Moore, Trent Ford, Alexandra Holden, Allison Janney and Peter Gallagher.
Sony Picture's PG-13 rated Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle dropped three places to ninth in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $3.7 million (-48%) at 2,261 theaters (-941 theaters; $1,636 per theater). Its cume is approximately $89.1 million.
Directed by McG, it stars Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Bernie Mac.
Fox Searchlight's R rated sci-fi thriller 28 Days Later dropped one place to round out the Top Ten in its fourth week with an ESTIMATED $2.5 million (-40%) at 1,310 theaters (-86 theaters; $1,947 per theater). Its cume is approximately $33.4 million.
Directed by Danny Boyle, it stars Cillian Murphy, Naomi Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns.
OTHER OPENINGS
Miramax's R rated crime drama Dirty Pretty Things opened in five theaters this weekend and took in an ESTIMATED $101,000 with a strong $20,200 per theater average.
In the film, a kind-hearted Nigerian doctor who works at a seedy West London hotel finds a human heart in one of the toilets and uncovers something far more sinister than just a common crime.
Directed by Stephen Frears, it stars Chewitil Ejiofor, Sergi Lopez and AudreyTautou.
Fox Searchlight's R rated musical comedy Garage Days, meanwhile, opened in 23 theaters and took in an ESTIMATED $21,160 with a $920 per theater average.
The film is a coming-of-age comedy about a young Sydney band trying to get a foothold in the competitive world of rock n' roll.
Directed by Alex Proyas, it stars Kick Gurry, Maya Stange, Pia Miranda and Chris Sadrinna.
WEEKEND COMPARISON
The Top 12 films this weekend grossed an ESTIMATED $137.6 million, up a whopping 33.63 percent from last year's take of $102.9 million. The Top 12 films were also up .58 percent from last weekend when they grossed $136.8 million.
Last year, DreamWorks' R rated drama Road to Perdition topped the box office in its second week of release with $15.4 million at 2,159 theaters (+326 theaters; $7,139 per theater average), Sony's G rated Stuart Little 2 debuted in the No. 2 position with $15.1 million at 3,225 theaters with a $4,644 per theater average and Sony's PG-13 rated Men in Black II followed in third place in its third week with $14.5 million at 3,641 theaters ((+30; $3,997 per theater).

Title

Filmed roles in "The Sadness of Sex" (released in 1997) and "Loser" (released in 1996)

Raised in Papau, New Guinea and Sydney, Australia

Made US stage acting debut in production of Sam Shepard's "Fool for Love"

Worked as a model in Australia

Co-starred in "Mercy", directed by Damian Harris; aired on HBO

Acting debut in bit role in "Woman Undone" (Showtime)

Cast opposite Sean Connery in "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" after Monica Bellucci pulled out

Cast in title role of the USA Network series "La Femme Nikita"

Moved to USA

Summary

Statuesque Australian actress and model Peta Wilson charmed countless TV viewers as a sultry spy in the hit TV series "La Femme Nikita" (USA, 1997-2001), which earned her a cult following around the globe. Following the show's departure, she kept a relatively low profile on the small screen and in film, though her appearances in films like "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" (2003) and "Superman Returns" (2006) were memorable, thanks in no small part to her sultry presence.<p>Born Peta Gia Wilson in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on Nov. 18, 1970, Wilson's father was a military man, and moved the family on numerous occasions to far-flung points of the globe, including a stint in Papua, New Guinea. It was there that Wilson developed her initial interest in performing, though at the time it was merely for entertainment's sake, as there was no television or radio in their living quarters. Wilson was educated at an all-girls school in Brisbane, Australia, and favored sports, though her mother encouraged her to take a few etiquette classes to balance out her schooling. The latter proved to be a fortuitous move for Wilson, as a modeling agent recruited her during one of those classes. Shortly thereafter, Wilson enjoyed several years of success as a runway and print model, traveling extensively throughout Europe and Australia.<p>In 1991, Wilson decided to pursue acting, choosing to relocate to Los Angeles to study under the noted teacher Arthur Mendoza, principal acting teacher at the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting West. By 1995, she was landing supporting roles in independent features like the gritty crime drama "Loser" (1995). She also foreshadowed her own TV stardom with a 1996 guest shot on "Highlander" (syndicated, 1992-98), another TV series based on a cult movie.<p>Wilson was ready to depart for New York to continue her acting studies when her agent convinced her to audition for the lead role in a new action program based on Luc Besson's popular French action-drama, "La Femme Nikita" (1991). Wilson landed the role, and was soon launched into the pop culture stratosphere, thanks to the show's overwhelmingly positive reception with American audiences. "Nikita" was the top-rated program on American basic cable for its first two seasons, and though critics could claim that the key to the show's success was its complex story structure - which had trained assassin Nikita fighting both enemy forces and nefarious elements within her own agency - the fans clearly saw Wilson's physical beauty, athleticism, and soulful acting as the key to its appeal. For her turn as Nikita, Wilson was twice nominated for a Gemini Award (in 1998 and 1999), as well as for a Saturn Award in 1997.<p>Unfortunately, even Wilson could not keep "Nikita" afloat, when changes at USA shifted the network's attention to more lucrative programming like professional wrestling. The show was unceremoniously cancelled in 2000. A massive fan protest brought "Nikita" back for a truncated season of eight episodes, but Wilson, who had relocated to New York in 1999 with her boyfriend, director Damian Harris, was already planning her next career moves.<p>The 2000 film "Mercy," directed by Harris, should have propelled Wilson into the movie major leagues. A steamy erotic thriller with Ellen Barkin as a homicide detective whose investigation into a string of brutal murders brings her in contact with a kinky lesbian domme (Wilson), simply suffered from poor distribution. Wilson fared better on television in projects like Showtime's "A Girl Thing" (2001), in which she played a patient who is taken hostage with her psychiatrist by an unbalanced woman (Camryn Manheim), and "Joe and Max" (2002), a TV-movie about the rivalry (and friendship) between legendary boxers Joe Louis and Max Schmelling. That same year, Wilson gave birth to a son, Marlowe.<p>In 2003, Wilson returned to theatrical features as Mina Harker, vampire huntress - a role originally slated for Monica Bellucci - in the big-screen adaptation of Alan Moore's cult graphic novel "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Despite the presence of Sean Connery and some eye-popping special effects, the film failed to score at the box office and ignite Wilson's career. The following year, Wilson appeared nude in a layout for <i>Playboy</i>, claiming in news reports that she had agreed to the photo shoot as a means of showing her great-grandchildren how good she had looked in her youth.<p>Wilson made sporadic appearances on television during the next few years. She played a woman who sought revenge on the con man whose scheme lead to her husband's death in the 2004 TV-movie "False Pretenses," and made appearances on the short-lived TV series "Jonny Zero" (WB, 2005) and in an episode of the Australian TV suspense anthology, "Too Twisted" (2005). Action and adventure fans were pleased to see her turn up for a small role as a NASA spokesperson in Bryan Singer's big-screen retelling, "Superman Returns" in 2006. Wilson and her husband teamed up again in 2007 for the drama-thriller "Gardens of the Night," about the perils of foster care. None of the projects brought her the buzz of her "Nikita," days, but Wilson seemed content as a working actress with a life centered around her family.

Education

Name

Notes

"I've made a lot of grown men cry with laughter, because I really am quite the joke." --Peta Wilson in Entertainment Weekly, August 1, 1997.

On "La Femme Nikita", Wilson told Details (August 1997): "It's a very funny show--inadvertently. WHen I look at it I howl. At the same time, I'd really like to be doing more substantial work. I'd love to be sitting here talking with you if I'd done a play or something really great. I don't really have a body of work. I came straight out of the theater to this, where I just hit the mark and bark, basically. There's no rehearsal, no readthrough; I meet the director the day we shoot. The great moments on film are in the silences. But they use close-ups all the time, you can't see the body ... "

About her audition, production consultant Joel Surnow told People (April 14, 1997): "She was really gnarly, hair flying in every direction. Afterwards, she sat on a chair ... and became the most charming, chatty Australian girl,"

"When I was young, I could never find 'Peta' on those name tags stores sell, so I would buy tags with other names on them and have my family call me by whichever name I'd place on my door. I went by Wendy for a good month or so" - Peta Wilson on being named after the 1970 Miss Australian pageant winner Hollywood Life, July/Aug 2003